No that Osama is gone, are there any evil masterminds left? Anyone who might be James Bond-worthy? In fiction, these arch-criminals plot world domination from a lair on some uncharted island. But that's all fiction, right? Consider this true story: At 00:53 GMT on Sept 22, 1979, the American Vela satellite detected the signature of a nuclear detonation on Bouvet Island, an uninhabited rock in the south Indian ocean. To this day, no one knows who was behind the explosion.

President Carter was so alarmed, he called his advisors to the situation room. They didn’t have any answers. Subsequent investigations suggest the explosive device may have been a neutron bomb, a tactical nuclear device that kills people, but leaves structures largely intact. Some investigators think the South African government was behind the detonation, others speculate it was Israel, France, or maybe Taiwan—but evidence for any of these options is scant.

Bouvet is the most remote island on earth. While Norway claims it, there are no known residents. In 1964, a passing ship found an abandoned lifeboat on the island, filled with supplies. No one knows how it got there. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a stretch to suggest the island is the secret base of of a real-life Dr. No. But one thing is for sure. Something very scary happened on Bouvet Island. And we don’t know who did it.

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